Our family made a major road trip across the southwestern United States last summer. We flew from Florida to Denver and made it to Moab our first day, and the second day, we visited not just one, but TWO national parks! We were making a long road trip and packed in as much as we could see in two weeks… One might argue we could have stayed and explored for two weeks at any one of our stops, but this is what we were able to fit in!
We started our morning in Moab, with free breakfast at the AArchway Inn. On Day Two of our trip, we visited Canyonlands National Park in the morning, and Arches National Park in the afternoon/evening. Then we drove down to Monument Valley to stay the night.
If you’ve been asking yourself, how much can I see during a half day at Canyonlands National Park, here’s your answer!
First Stop: Monitor and Merrimac Buttes
The drive to Canyonlands is about 30 miles from Moab. On the way to Canyonlands, we stopped at Monitor and Merrimac Buttes. There is a small parking lot to pull over to get out and take a look. The buttes are named after two ironclad warships from the Civil War. The buttes rise above the surrounding ground about 600 feet.
One Morning in Canyonlands National Park: Island in the Sky District
Canyonlands National Park is really, really big! The park is split into three districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, and The Maze. We spent time in the Island in the Sky District. Our first stop inside the park was at the Shafer Trail Overlook. Since we were only spending the morning there, we just walked around the overlook. The Shafer Trail is actually an unpaved road that only 4WD vehicles are allowed on, where you drive down the canyon. It looks awesome, but we were in our rented minivan, so not an option for us on this trip!
Look closely at the photos and see the road snaking down the side of the canyon! That road descends 1,500 feet down the side of the sandstone cliff! There is a parking lot at the overlook. You can get a good view from the parking lot , but if you’re okay with steps, you can walk down along the rim of the canyon and go right up to the edge! It’s really cool, but definitely a straight drop down! I keep asking myself why I keep taking my children to the edges of cliffs… but if you get a view like this, well… They probably get sick of me telling them to be careful, but I remind them often anyway! This was the first time my son looked at me and said, “Mom, you know I don’t actually want to fall off of a cliff right?” And I can’t tell you how comforting that was!
Mesa Arch Trail
Next stop was Mesa Arch Trail! An arch and we weren’t even at Arches National Park yet! The Mesa Arch Trail also has a parking lot. It’s probably one of the best known spots in the park, so the parking lot was pretty busy. The trail isn’t very long, so there were people coming and going the whole time. The trail is .6 miles to the arch. It’s a pretty easy hike but does have uneven surfaces and some rocky areas you’ll be walking over, with some stone steps, and some of the terrain is on slickrock. Cairns lead the way along the path. Stop for a second to enjoy the view along the path as well! We visited in June and were treated to many wildflowers blooming!
As you walk over the hill, you’ll see Mesa Arch, standing at the edge of the cliff, with the La Sal Mountains in the distance. You can walk right up to the arch and get your photo with the view of White Rim country through the arch. The cliffs drop straight down at the back of the arch into Buck Canyon, a 1,200 foot drop!
The view is amazing. If you are able to do this hike when visiting, I highly recommend it! One of the items we added to our hiking gear on this trip was a Camelbak Hydration Pack for each of us. I can’t even tell you how helpful it was! We used to bring a backpack with all of the water bottles in one backpack (HEAVY!). This way, everyone had their own water and could be drinking as we walked along when they needed it. We did a lot of hiking in the hot desert this trip, so we definitely used them!
Orange Cliffs Overlook
A quick walk from a parking lot gives you a fantastic view of the Orange Cliffs across the Green River. The panoramic view of the sandstone cliffs is mesmerizing! It’s an easy stop and a view worth seeing!
Grand View Point Overlook
The Grand View Point is really quite amazing! This stop has a parking lot with an easy paved trail that leads to the overlook. There is also a fence, which makes it one of the less nerve wracking spots if you have small children! There is a trail that allows you to walk along the the edge of the cliffs to a second viewpoint, but we only had the morning in the park so we didn’t take the walk. The view from Grand View Point is an amazing scene of the top of a mesa, with dramatic drops down into the canyons formed by the Green River and Colorado River. Canyonlands is a part of the Colorado Plateau, and over years and years, erosion from heavy rains and the rivers have eroded the softer layers of rock into the amazing landscape we see today.
Island in the Sky Visitor Center
Our last stop inside the park was at the Visitor Center. A couple of souvenirs (we love getting a Christmas ornament and a sticker!) and one more overlook across the road from the center and we were on our way to Arches National Park. This overlook really is the first one you’d see as you come into the park, but we knew we’d want to stop into the shop on our way out, so we saved it for last.
Canyonlands National Park has many trails and more to see than we were able to fit in, but we packed in as many highlights as we could into one morning! One of the resources we like to use in the national parks is the GuideAlong app. You download it before you go, (the national parks often have little to no reception) and it will talk as you drive along. It tells you great places to stop and what to expect, history of the area, and about the geology and wildlife.
Subscribe to our blog if you’d like updates on our journey! I’ll be posting each stop of our trip across the Southwest US. You can check out our itinerary here: https://chaoscaravan.com/national-parks-in-the-southwestern-united-states-our-epic-road-trip-itinerary-includes-arches-canyonlands-grand-canyon-bryce-canyon-zion-yosemite-redwoods-and-more/. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to see more footage of our trip and our other adventures! Thanks for joining us on our morning in Canyonlands National Park!
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